Forbidden Treasure
by BroadwayGirl22
Summary: (This is a colab story (broadwaygirl22 and tombraider123). We will trade off writing chapters.) A strange discovery leads princess Merida to the kingdom of Corona. Where she meets new friends and another special someone.
1. Chapter 1

**This chapter was written by tombraider123.**

Merida was riding on her horse, Angus, and shooting arrows at her targets set up in the trees. She stopped shooting her bow for a minute and let the wind blow through her long, untameably curly, fire red hair. Merida slowed to a stopped and hopped off Angus' back making sure not to stand in any mud. Her mother would have a fit if she got this dress dirty. She was wearing a newly made dress by her mum it was a dark green with gold trimmings and Merida didn't want to ruin it.

Merida sauntered to the edge of a cliff overlooking her home of DunBroch, she was free! Only two years ago, when she was 16, her mother had accepted her way of living and didn't force into marriage. Merida was enjoying the view when she noticed something at the bottom of the cliff; it looked like a small chest.

"I wonder what's in that chest, Angus. Stay here I'll be back soon," Merida said, petting Angus' mane.

She started to climb down the cliff; she had amazing climbing skills for a girl of only 18 and was skilled in many things, archery being her greatest. She could hit a bull's eye from 100 meters away. Merida was nearly at the bottom when a rock, she had just grabbed a hold of, gave way. She began to free fall, making her heart beat in over drive. Luckily before she hit the ground she managed to grab onto a, tiny, ledge saving herself from hitting the rocks below.

"There better be something good in that chest," she said, huffily.

Merida finally reached the bottom and found she was surrounded by, extremely tall, trees. They hadn't look nearly as tall from above.

"I haven't been here before," she said to herself.

She walked through the forest to where she thought she'd seen the chest; it was hard to tell from up on the cliff. She didn't how long it had been, she seemed more tired than usual and that's when she saw them, will 'o the wisps. She gasped, Merida hadn't seen will 'o the wisps in two years. Not since all the marriage fuss had been settled.

Merida was getting deathly tired at this point; what was the forest doing to her? Following the wisps lead her to a clearing and in the middle was a large, dark brown, wooden truck buried in to the ground. The trunk was so dark it almost blended in with the ground. In the middle of the trunk was the chest. It was made of black leather and had a golden lock on it; _whatever is in this must be priceless._ Merida thought to herself.

The closer she got to the chest the more fatigued she felt until she collapsed right in front of it.

Merida finally awoke. She didn't know how long she had been out but, she was back up on the cliff. Down below she saw the forest, where she had just been.

"What is going on?" Merida said; partly to Angus, who was nuzzling her unkempt hair, and partly to herself.

She stood up and brushed her dress off, she was happy that it wasn't in total ruins. She turned around and, to her surprise; the black chest was sitting, innocently, on a flat rock. Only now the lock was gone. Merida didn't know if she wanted to open it or not but, curiosity got the better of her. She walked over it and slowly opened the lid. She looked inside and was saddened to find only a piece of paper, no gold no jewels no priceless relic just a piece of paper. Merida was angry and was about to throw the paper back down into the forest where it belonged when she noticed that it had writing on it. She started to unroll the paper and saw that it wasn't just a piece of paper

"It's a map!" She Exclaimed.

The map had beautiful sun designs around the boarder. She became more excited the longer she looked at it. She jumped back up on Angus and, as swiftly as her horse would allow, made her way back to DunBroch. She bolted through the door to the kitchen past the busy cookers and into the dining room where her family was eating. Her mother looked over at her, seeming upset

"Young lady, where have you been?" Her mother said with fire in her eyes, standing up from the table "You said only a couple of hours, it's been seven,"

Merida wasn't like her mother at all; unlike her, Elinor had brown hair and acted more of a queen than Merida ever would.

"I'm sorry mum," Merida said, sitting in her chair "I got distracted I-" Merida tried to continue but, she was cut short by her mother's rage.

"Seven hours Merida, we we're worried!" Elinor bellowed, leaning on the table and, looking to her husband for support.

"I wasn't, I know my lass can take care of herself," Fergus said, in his extremely thick accent.

Merida looked over to her Dad and smiled; she was more like him. It was more than just having his bright red hair; she had his spirit for adventure and fighting.

"I found something as well," Merida said showing the map.

"What's this?" Elinor said snatching the map from her daughter's hand. "A treasure map," Elinor observed.

"I found in the forest below the cliff near here," Merida pointed out the window, indicating the direction of the forest.

Fergus went over the see what it was all about.

"Aye that looks interesting where does it say it leads?" Fergus asked.

"It's in a kingdom called Corona," Merida said.

"Aye I know where that is," Elinor said, still examining the map.

"So can I go find it then?" Merida asked excitedly, directing the question more to her father.

"I don't see why not" Fergus said.

"Fergus this is your daughter… going to a place where she has never been before," Elinor said, with a raised eyebrow.

"So? she's a master with her bow I think she can handle it herself," Fergus replied.

"Fine," Elinor said, throwing her hands into the air in resignation. "She can go, I guess seeing a new kingdom would do her some good anyway,"

"Great!" Fergus said, walking back to his seat. "Merida get ready, I'll arrange a ship to take you there in a couple of days,"

With that, Fergus sat back down in his chair and carried on eating his meal.

The days passed by quickly and in no time it was the day to leave. Merida had what she needed, mainly her bow and plenty of arrows. She was down at the docks a little early but, she didn't care. She was too excited to care about anything. After a half an hour one of the crew men called out that they'd be leaving shortly. Merida was about to step on the ship when…

"Merida, please be careful" Elinor said, running up to her daughter and kissing her on the forehead.

"Don't worry mum I won't be gone for too long" Merida said, sure that this treasure hunt would not take long at all.

The two hugged and Merida got on the ship. Elinor watched the ship sail into the horizon and prayed for Merida's safety.

It had been just over a week on the ship, Merida was getting used the waves knocking against the sides and was up on deck

"Princess we will make port on the morrow" the captain said.

"Wonderful! Thank you for telling me" Merida said.

She was excited! She was trying very hard not to show how much she couldn't wait so; she went back below deck and walked to her room. She made herself fall asleep; she hadn't gotten much sleep the past few days, due to over excitement.

She was woken by the sound of a man shouting

"Land ahead, land ahead!"

Merida sprinted up onto the deck and saw the kingdom before her eyes, it was beautiful! Merida looked at the new kingdom and whispered only one thing…

"Corona,"


	2. Chapter 2

Merida was more excited then she'd ever been in her life. She climbed all through the rigging, not able to keep still for more than a moment. She jumped into the eagle's nest and asked to look through the spy glass. She saw the kingdom of Corona up close and it was wonderful!

After a good long look she climbed back down the rigging and, swiftly, paced along the deck; her fiery red hair bouncing around as she walked. The closer the shore got the more excited Merida became.

"Come on…" She whispered to herself.

_Couldn't this ship go any faster?_ She asked herself. She decided to go pack up her things so they would be ready to unload when the ship pulled into the harbor. She ran below deck and into her room. She threw all her stuff into trunks; she had never been a neat packer like her mother. She saw her bow in the corner of her eye and had a mischievous little idea.

She finished packing and grabbed her bow and quiver. She informed the servants that her things were ready to unload and made her way back on deck. She crawled out onto the very tip of the bow and stood up. Drawing an arrow and pulling back the string, she steadied herself as best she could. Not wanting to fall in.

"What are you doing, princess?" A man called.

"I'm giving Corona a wee greeting!" She replied. She loosed the arrow that was aimed at a vender's cart in the middle of the town. They were close enough, now, that she hit her mark.

Her arrows were emblazoned with the DunBroch symbol and she had wanted to let everyone know that she was here, and ready to wreak some havoc. The effect was not as wondrous as she'd hoped. People screamed and took cover as the king and queen was informed.

"Princess Merida," The captain scolded, as she walked back to the center of the ship; arms swinging at here sides. "That was entirely inappropriate and very childish. I have been asked to make sure you act properly on this trip. I am completely within my rights to turn this ship around and take you strait home,"

Merida had a look of defiance on her face "It's just a wee arrow. There was no need to react the way they did,"

The captain simply looked at her until she relented. She was too excited for this adventure to push her luck now that she was here.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again. I promise" The promise was empty but, as long as it kept all the stuffy adults off her back while she went treasure hunting, that was okay with her.

The ship pulled into the harbor and the gang plank was set in place. Merida sprinted down it and off into the crowd that had gathered to see the visitor. She looked back, for only a moment to make sure none of the guards or servants were following her, and ran all through the kingdom. She loved exploring new places and seeing new people, she had planned on going off on her treasure hunt right away but, her map was packed away in one of her trunks.

As Merida got tired, and the sun began to set, she made her way to the castle. Everyone else was doing the same; closing up shops and ushering children inside. Her mother had told her that if she was to go on this quest she also had to make good bonds with the kingdom. It was part of her training to, one day, be queen.

She told the guards at the front door who she was and they let her in. The castle was huge and magnificent! It was so much nicer than the one at DunBroch. Everything in DunBroch looked old and historic, with the exception of all Merida's new dresses but, here everything was polished and shiny and new looking.

Merida sauntered through the main hall and up to the throne. She examined the intricate sun designs etched into the marble. It was a wonderful castle and a wonderful throne.

"I trust you enjoyed seeing the town for the first time," A soft voice said behind her.

She jumped and turned, causing her hair to fly all over the place. What met her eyes, she thought, could only have been an angel. She was slender with long brown hair. It was the queen.

"Oh, yes. Thank you very much for letting me stay here." Merida curtsied then looked back into the queen's gorgeous green eyes.

"Of course!" She said stepping closer to Merida, as if to hug her "We love to have guests."

"I'm not sure where my room is. Could you have someone show me?" Merida asked tentatively.

"I'll show you myself." The queen replied, grabbing Merida's hand and dragging her down the hall to her left.

Merida took in all she could while, practically, flying down the hall way. She wasn't sure she would be able to find her way out again. They made to many turns, to quickly, for her to remember where they were going.

When the queen, finally, slowed her pace they stopped in front of a simple, yet, elegant white and purple door.

"Here you are," the queen said. "I hope you find the room to your liking. If you need anything just pull the rope in the corner and a servant will come."

"Thank you very much, your majesty." Merida replied, curtsying.

The queen did the same and walked away. Merida faced the door and pushed it open. It was surprisingly heavy for a bedroom door but, not a problem for Merida. When she first saw the room she knew it was perfect. It wasn't like the rest of the castle. It looked as if it had been specially made for her visit. All her weapons had been laid out on a table, and someone had hung her "adventure dresses", as she liked to call them, in the wardrobe.

She spotted the rope, which the queen had mentioned, in the corner. She walked to it and stood there for a moment.

"The only thing I need is to find that treasure," Merida said to herself.

She changed into a dark dress, to blend in with the night, and tied her hair up in a bun. She pulled a black hat over her hair and tucked the fly-a-ways into it. Picking up her bow, that she had placed on the table with her other weapons, she felt a rush of excitement. She tied her quiver to her waist and strapped her sword to her back.

When she was all set to head off on a daring quest she slowly opened the window. She knew that the captain would never allow her to go off on her own at night but, she wanted to so badly.

Luckily her room was on the ground floor so she didn't need to climb down the slick walls. She jumped out the window and onto the dirt below. She had crushed a few flowers in the process but, she didn't care much.

Merida was amazed at how many guards there were all over the castle grounds. She slipped past at least 10 of them before reaching the stables, where they were keeping Angus.

"Hello there, Angus." Merida whispered "Are you ready for an adventure?"

Angus seemed on edge and Merida wasn't sure why. Then she realized that Angus probably didn't recognize her in her night camouflage. She pulled off her hat, and let her hair down.

"See?" She said petting his mane "It's just me. Now let's get out of here."

She untied him and jumped on his back. However she had forgotten to replace her hat and her hair flew around her like a dancing fire.

When she was out of hearing range of the village she let out a laugh to rival all others; a laugh of jubilance and happiness and sheer delight. She was free, and ready to find that treasure.


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter was written by tombraider123**

Angus was galloping at high speeds across the bridge leading to Corona. Merida's hair danced like wild fire. They followed the path for hours until entering a dense forest, full of lush green trees. Merida, not entirely sure where she was, pulled out the map and unfolded it. Angus was lightly walking while Merida looked at the map.

"Hmm well I see the forest on here but – "Merida was cut short by a large tree branch falling right in front of Angus, causing him to rear up in fear. Merida fell off of Angus's back and hit her head. Her eyes fluttered, and then everything went black.

Light returned to Merida as she slowly opened her eyes. She saw a beautiful young woman with brown hair in a pixie cut style. She was wearing a purple dress.

"Thank goodness you're finally awake" The woman said.

"What happened?" Merida asked sheepishly.

"I don't know me and my husband found you knocked out on the forest floor" She replied, gesturing out to the forest.

"ANGUS WHERE'S ANGUS" Merida shouted.

"Whoa, calm down calm down" She soothed.

Merida sat back down but was worried about Angus.

"Now, we found horse prints, close by, when we found you; is Angus your horse?" She asked.

"Yes he is. Do you know where he is?" Merida pleaded.

"Don't worry Eugene, my husband, went to go look for him" She said reassuringly.

Merida calmed down a bit but, was still worried.

"You're not from here are you?" The woman inquired.

"No, I'm not. How did you know?" Merida asked standing up from the bed she was lying in.

"Well your accent is a dead giveaway" The woman teased.

"Oh yeah; right" Merida said feeling slightly stupid for not guessing that.

"Scotland?" She guessed.

"Yes, quite right." Merida said, impressed. "I'm princess Merida of DunBroch."

"So Merida, why are you here?" She asked taking a seat next to Merida on the portable couch.

Looking around Merida had only just noticed where she was; she was in a large purple tent with purple tent floor, walls and, top with a golden sun emblem in the center.

"Nice place you have here" Merida said looking around the tent.

"Oh this isn't my home; this is where me and my husband are staying for a couple of days; we're kind of on vacation a little" She said, looking around at the tent.

"So if this isn't where you live where do you live?" Merida asked curiously.

"Oh," She said, realizing she hadn't introduced herself. "My name is Princess Rapunzel. I live in the castle at Corona" She stood up from the couch and curtsied.

"Right! My mother mentioned a princess who lived here." Merida said standing, and curtsying as well.

"So why are you here?" Rapunzel asked again.

"It's a long story" Merida replied.

"I have time" Rapunzel pressed.

"OK. Just over a week ago, back in my kingdom, I found a chest down in a forest –"

"Like a treasure chest?" Rapunzel asked excitedly.

"Yes. There was something strange about it the closer I got to it the more fatigued I felt; eventually I blacked out; when I woke up the chest was next to me and inside it was a map; leading here; and last night, while I was staying in the castle, I snuck out and I was riding Angus in the forest… then," She paused "Um I don't remember anything after that" Merida finished.

Rapunzel looked memorized. Merida could tell she was interested.

"Here I'll show you the map" Merida said. She got up and walked over to her bag. She pulled out the map and took it over to Rapunzel.

Rapunzel started to examine the map

"What did happen to me anyway?" Merida asked as Rapunzel turned the map over in her hands.

Rapunzel looked up from the map and started to talk

"This morning Eugene and I were riding our horses when we found you. We figured you were riding a horse. We noticed the branch and assumed it fell down and your scared horse bucked you off then ran away, leaving you unconscious".

"That map is of your kingdom do you know the places?" Merida asked, not able to focus on one thing for very long.

"Well, I see up to a point but then the territory becomes unfamiliar" Rapunzel said. "Here look" she said pointing to the area on the map. She only knew up to about half way to the treasure.

"After that point I don't know where to go on anything like that" Rapunzel said, apologetically.

Just then Eugene walked in wearing a long dark purple coat white undershirt black pants and brown boots. He had a pretty face with a light beard and slightly long hair; down to just below his ears.

"Sleeping beauty is awake I see" he said.

Rapunzel went on to explain who Merida was and why she was here and what happened last night.

"Treasure huh? Reminds me of the old days" Eugene said.

"The old days?" Merida asked.

"Before I meet Rapunzel I was Flynn Rider a notorious thief and the best of the best" Eugene said in a proud voice.

"Yeah best of the best" Rapunzel said trying to hold back a laugh. "So good a frying pan could stop you," She said with sarcasm.

"Hey Rapunzel I've got an idea," Eugene said, brushing off her sarcastic comment "Why don't we help Merida find her treasure?"

"Well…" She said thinking "We don't have to be back at the castle for another week so… Why not?"

Merida was stunned. Not only did she get to go on a treasure hunt but, she was pretty sure she had just made two new friends and they were going to help her treasure hunt. She couldn't imagine how this trip could get any better.

"Well, let's go!" Merida said, jumping up. "We've got treasure to find."


End file.
